Marina, we all agree with this. What are you going to do this week? For it has been the work of people in this community and others across the country pushing our electeds to do more that has helped us get to moments like this. Don't just complain, do, please.
Perhaps not a litany, but I think the broader point is that we as a community don't particularly like vague calls to action without making suggestions/saying what we're doing ourselves, if that makes sense.
Marina, you are new here, and am grateful for your presence and your work. But to be clear we all know that more must be done, and in fact, that is what we do here every day - try to get more to happen. We don't find it particularly useful to keep expressing disappointment, particularly when things are happening that you approve of for that means we can never win and can only lose; and such sentiment then becomes demobilizing, counter productive and helps MAGA win. Thank you - S
Marina expressed support for your own message, that elected Dems should, in so many words, act more like Sen. Booker. Her reinforcing your message is NOT to the exclusion of other kinds of action -- which she is taking!
Public shaming has no place in the Hopium community. I hope to never again see such uninformed criticism of a Hopium member.
When faced with something adverse or difficult, the first three rules are:
Eric, please take your own counsel here and read through all the comments. My words were not criticism but an explanation of how we see the world which works hard to not turn wins into losses and disappointment as is the case with so much current Democratic chatter right now. If you come on here and join the fray you have to be ready to defend your arguments as I have to every day. Dropping comments, getting challenged and then withdrawing because it got hard is not in the spirit of civil discourse. I write and say all the time if you make a case defend it, back it up and inform. Just complaining is not in the spirit of this place.
Marina, we all need to call out the positive. Negativity is not an asset in a movement like this. Your comment was not “bad”, but not productive, like a call to specific action.
I agree - I watched it several times throughout the day too. Shaking it up is very important now and Cory and Hakeem shook it up. It was really great seeing elected officials in jeans sitting on the Capitol steps talking about standing up to the abuses of Trump. I hope they do more things like this!
Hakeem is an excellent extemporaneous speaker, as we have already seen. He needs to use this skill far more than he has. It was an excellent way to galvanize the public, and they should definitely use clips on social media to emphasize key points.
J - we have a fantastic bench of presidential candidates who I would be proud to vote for, including Cory, Kamala, Pete, Jamie, Adam, and I definitely want to see AOC in that mix someday! Our future as Dems seems very bright to me, but of course I'm biased. <3
I loved Raphael Warnock’s moment where he said, “I hear people attack poor people and act like it’s a crime to be poor, rather than to recognize it’s criminal for so many people to be poor. They do all of this in the name of Jesus… Jesus is the biggest victim of identity theft in the United States”
As many a European has remarked, a key difference between Europe and the US is that in Europe, the "deserving poor" means people who deserve to be helped; in our country, it means people who deserve to be poor. Not to anyone in Hopium, not to most Americans (the American people give more to help people in other countries than anyone else, by far, including every government), but to the millionaires and billioaires who occupy too many of our elective offices, or control those who do, that's most definitely the definition.
I hope the Mad King’s Truth Social post gets lots of attention today in Canada. The dimwit Mad King is unwittingly helping Carney and the Liberal Party win this election – possibly by a landslide.
"Good luck to the Great people of Canada. Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America. No more artificially drawn line from many years ago. Look how beautiful this land mass would be. Free access with NO BORDER. ALL POSITIVES WITH NO NEGATIVES. IT WAS MEANT TO BE! America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!"
Worth noting: "Election Day" is somewhat of a misnomer, both in Canada and the USA. More than one-quarter of eligible Canadian voters have already cast an Early ballot.
The Beaverton is fun, it's our Onion. Satire has become difficult in this era, as we all know, because actual things are happening that were inconceivable a decade ago.
Any predictions for this election? Do you think Carney and the Liberal Party will gets an absolute majority in Parliament? And if so, by how many seats?
Wipeout for the NDP? Any chance Poilievre loses his own riding?
These are interesting things to contemplate....Poilievre's riding in Ottawa may have been affected by the 2022 "convoy" which aggressively disrupted residents' lives. His open support of all that could create opposition. His riding is also being targeted by a strange protest movement that registers 100 candidates to make an obscure point about election reform. This means that the count - done by hand with witnesses - will talke ages. It will have no effect on the actual outcome though.
I predict the NDP will suffer, but after some soul-searching and a likely leadership change will rise to fight again. 12 seats is the miniimum for "party status", which involves budgets etc, so if they come in under that it will be a definite blow. That's entirely possible though. A pundit I respect (Chantal Hebert) believes the Bloc leader is safe even if his party's caucus will be reduced.
I know what I'm hoping for, but time will tell. We will have to deal with the outcome, whatever it is. Electorates have been disappointing me all around the world, so ... just trying to stay calm and manage expectations right now.
There is a blossoming of Canadian patriotism inspired by rage. Suffice it to say, Trump is not helping Poilievre and the Conservatives. Without Tump’s tariffs and "help", they would probably be on a path to election victory.
“We have to find ways to take this ongoing assault - the undermining of Medicaid, the dismantlement of our public health infrastructure and research institutions, and anti-science crackpottery on reproductive health, diseases, autism - and turn it into something easy to understand.”
Poll numbers don’t convey this message. Neither does a chaotic, plunging stock market, as most people touched by this assault don’t have investments. If we want to turn the tide in our favor— and in favor of the survival of our democracy and our nation — we need to do a better job on messaging.
The ports on the west coast are essentially empty. Soon the shelves at Wal-Mart will be as well. That will be the perfect moment to hit the airwaves with multiple messages of how incompetent and cruel the administration is. There will be no denying it.
So proud of Illinois Governor Pritzker for his leadership during this troubled time. He has been fantastic and I'm proud to have moved to Illinois last year - first blue state I've ever lived in and it was about time. Thank you Simon and everyone for the community!
Illinois doesn't have term limits for Governor, so maybe he'll run again? If not, I'd be happy to see him in DC too. I'm glad you see his strength too.
Thank you, Simon! I saw some of the sit-in and it was great! I've called Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Congressman Raskin to ask them to support Senator Kaine's tariff resolution and to make criminal referrals against Elon Musk. Writing postcards today to remind Democrats in Florida to enroll in Vote By Mail. Glad to see that the polls are getting under Lame Donald Duck's skin.
Self-report: I emailed NJ AG yesterday re joining the tariffs lawsuit (they are not reachable by phone). Will call Sens. Booker & Kim on the tariffs and Mr. Abrego Garcia.
Will follow up w Rep. Chris Smith's office (Traitor-NJ04) and ask them if/when I can expect a response to my email from last week. Not optimistic I'll get an acceptable response, but need to keep pushing this twit.
Spent much of Saturday at an organizing meeting to work on local activism: voter reg/turnout, rallies/public actions, building coalitions, etc. I hope this is being done in as many of our Hopium communities as possible-grassroots organizing is vital to our movement!
On the agenda this week: several folks are hosting "First 100 Days" type presentations, including Contrarian & Marc Elias. Highly recommend joining at least one of these.
Marc and Simon are the two who keep me sane. (Along with Meidas, BTC, HCR, etc. etc. of course!). We have formed a strong community that I rely on daily!
Writing to Governor Shapiro today, urging him to join the tariff lawsuits, given that our completely useless Attorney General just sits and ... I'm not sure what. Sits and watches the carnage?
Yes, please. There are 37 states not on the two state based tariff lawsuits. All should join, and Dems in the states regardless of who controls should be clamoring for it.
Just sent the note. His office is responsive. He has initiated lawsuits against this regime recently and they answer the phone when you call ... and listen. Now to call McCormick and Fetterman. And leave my you have no mandate and stealing health care from citizens is inhumane, immoral, indecent, and illegal messages for Johnson and Thune.
Pritzker's comments are right on the money, but I have some concerns about his recent veto of a bill that would have limited Amazon’s productivity and speed quotas for its warehouse workers.
Of course the opinion polls are rigged, the samples unfair and fake. Trump has at least 100% approval and the bigliest approval in all of recorded history. The people of Canada will vote for him too - in huge, beautiful numbers - and become 51st state. The people of Greenland are begging to be American ....... meanwhile back in reality! The most unpopular US President at 100 days since polling began 80 years ago. Made my day.
Who gives an F about his NOT HAPPY; he says that and I want to scream and reach into the TV and grab him by his ...
I want news reports that he's morose, depressed, teetering on the edge of despair and that he's driving all those appointed sycophants (e.g. Hegseth, Bondi, and Rubio et. al ) crazy.
The People, the protectors of Democracy, are out and about. What "people," out where, about what--and why? First, millions said "Hand Off"to Trump/Musk et al, then on the 19th via 50501" (50 protests, 5o states, 1 Movement + Indivivable) millions more protested the mess in WDC. Also on the 19th we celebrated the "the shot heard around the world at Lexington and Concord, starting the Revolution and our country. On the 22nd protectors of the environment cleaned up a different kind of mess on Earth Day.
As important as the participants in environmental mess cleanup and American history are, this post is dedicated to the named and unnamed protestors fighting the Trump/Musk Washington, DC, tyrannical mess. Or as Susan Grymes calls it: "Protectors" of democracy, and so shall I in this post.
Who are the Protectors of democracy on April 5, 19th, May 1st--or all the everydays in between and into the future?? We will never know the names of each individual marcher, sign holder (or just standing together in solidarity). But we do know by name some people, advocacy groups, judges and law firms, and other entities who have not been cowed, and have fought back publicly--sometimes under threat of death.. Some, such as Sen. Cory Booker, with his 25 hour righteous speech on ethics, morality, and American democracy,have become an inspiration. Here then, in no particular order of noteworthy (except the first three), are the names of many of the army of protectors of democracy--and remember Courage is Contagious:
(Of course, the list is imperfect, Additions are welcomed. Also re-posting is permitted and encouraged.
PROTECTORS OF DEMOCRACY (By pen, voice, sign, or act)
(Updated April 28, 2025) Individuals
Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American,"
Jess Piper/"View from Rural Missouri,"
Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse,"
Rep. AOC,
AGs, 23 Blue States,
Aaron Parnas,
Adam Kinzinger,
Sen. Adam Schiff,
Adam Smith,
Alex Wagner,
Alexander Vindman,
Ali Velshi,
Alison Gill
Alvin Bragg (and the unnamed Manhattan jurors),
Amb. Susan Rice,
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales/Democracy Now,
Anand Giridharadas,
Anat Shenker-Osario,
Andrew Weissmann,
Andy Borowitz,
Ann Telnaes,
Anne Applebaum,
Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF (Freedom from Religion Founda
Ariella Elm
]
Ari Melber,
Asha Rangappa
August Flentje,
Ben Meiselas/MTN,
Beth Benike,
Brett Meiselas,
Brian Tyler Cohen,
Cassidy Hutchinson,
Charlotte Clymer,
Chris Geidne/LAW Dork
Chris Hayes,
Chris Krebs,
Col. Susannah Meyers,
Congressman Jim Himes,
D. Earl Stevens,
Dan Barker, FFRF (Freedom from Religion Foundation)
Dan Pfeiffer,
Dan Rather,
Daniel Berulis,
Daniel Morton-Bentley,
David Frumm,
David Hogg,
Dean Obeidallah,
Delia Ramirez,
Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
Sen. Elyssa Slotkin,
Erez Reuveni,
Rep. Eric Swalwell,
Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025),
Garrison Keillor,
Garry Kasparov,
George Conway,
Glenn Kirschner,
Gov. Beshear,
Gov. Janet Mills,
Gov. Kathy Hochul,
Gov. Maura Healey (MA),
Gov. Tim Walz (MN),
Gov. Tony Evers (WI),
Greg Olear,
Harry Litman,
J.B. Pritzker,
Jake Auchincloss,
Rep. Jamie Raskin,
Rep. Jasmine Crockett,
Jay Kou,
Jeff Danziger,
Sen. Jeff Merkley,
Jeff Stein,
Jeff Tiedrich,
Jen Rubin And the Contrarians,
,Jeremy Seahill,
Jessica Craven,
Jessica Yellin,
Jill Filipovic
Jim Acosta,
Jim Hightower,
Jimmy Kimmel,
J-L Cauvin,
John Cusack,
John Larson
Sen. Jon Ossoff,
Jonathan Bernstein,
Jordy Meiselas,
Josh Johnson (stand-up comedian),
Josh Marshall/TPM,
Joy Reid,
Judd Legum (Popular Information),
Julie Roginsky,
Katie Phang,
Ken Harbaugh,
Lawrence O'Donnell,
Liz Cheney,
Lucian Truscott IV,
Marianne Williamson,
Mark Fiore,
Marvin Kalb,
Mary L. Trump,
Maxwell Frost,
Mayor Michelle Wu,
Mehdi Hasan,
Melvin Gurai,
Michael Bennett,
Michael Cohen,
Michel Zeitgeist,
Miles Taylor,
Nicolle Wallllace,
Noel Casler (former and current staff of the Inter-American Foundation, a small but mighty federal agency for Latin America)
Olga Lautman,
Oliva Troye,
Paul Krugman,
Prof. Lawrence Tribe,
Qasim Rachid,
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman,
Rachel Cohen,
Rachel Maddow,
Rebecca Solnit,
Rep. Andrew Egger,
Rep. Emily Randall,
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries,
Rep. Jessica Denson,
Rep. Jonathan V. Last,
Rep. Noe Casler,
Rep. Pramila Jayapal,
Rep. Sarah Longwell,
Rep. Al Green,
Rep. Don Beyer,
Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde,
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II,
Representative Yassamin Ansari
Rez Reuveni (acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, and his supervisor),
Rich Wilson,
Robert B. Hubbell,
Robert Reich,
Roger Parloff,
Ron Filipkowski,
Ruth Ben-Ghait,
Sarah Inama,
Scott Dworkin,
Sen. Amy Klobuchar,
Sen. Andy Kim,
Sen. Angus King,
Sen. Bernie Sanders,
Sen. Chris Murphy,
Sen. Chris Van Hollen,
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,
Sen. Lisa Murkowski,
Sen. Maria Cantwell,
Sen. Patty Murray,
Sen. Raphael Warnock,
Sen. Ron Wyden,
Sharon McMahon,
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse,
Simon Rosenberg,
Stacey Abrams,
Stephanie Miller,
Stephen King,
Steve Brodner,
Steve Schmidt,
Sue Nethercott,
Sen. Tammy Duckworth,
Tennessee Brandon,
Thom Hartmann,
Tim Miller,
Tim Snyder,
Timothy Snyder
Tristan Snell,
Will Bunch,
Zev Shalev,
ADVOCACY GROUPS, MEDIA NETWORKS
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union),
AICN (North Carolina),
American Oversight,
Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers,
Blue Future,
Blue Missouri,
Blue Wave,
Bluesky,
Bulwark Media,
CODEPINK,
CREW,
DemCast,
Democracy Forward,
Democracy Index,
DemocracyLabs,
Every State Blue,
Feathers of Hope/Jerry Weiss,,
Field Team 6 (North Carolina),
FiftyFifty one (50501),
Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF),
Fred Wellman/On Democracy,
"Hands Off,"
Indivisible,
Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday,
Lambda Legal,
League of Women Voters/Dr. Allan Lichtman,
Marc Elias/Democracy Docket,
MeidasTouch Network,
MoveOn,
MSNBC (an exception to corporate news, and their suppressing news0,
No Kings,
Olivia Troye,
Protect Democracy,
Public Citizen/Co-president Robert Weissman,
Run for Something,
Seneca Project,
Substack,
Team Sunrise,
The 19th/Errin Haines,
The American Manifesto,
The Bulwark,
The Civic Center,
The Dean's List/ Dean Obeidallah,
The Dr. Martin Luther King Center
The Lincoln Project,
The Politics Girl,
The States Project (North Carolina),
The Union (North Carolina)
Third Act,,
Thomas Zimmer/Democracy Americana,
Truth Matters,
We the People Dissent,
Working Families Party,
LAW FIRMS/ORGANIZATIONS, LAWYERS, COURTS, ACADEMIA
American Bar Association,
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer,
Big Ten Universities,
Brenna Trout Frey
David Pepper,
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services),
Harvard/President Alan M. Garber,
Hogan Lovells (seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care),
Jenner & Block (also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding),
Judge Hannah Dugan,
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III,
(former) Judge J. Michael Luttig,
Judge James Boasberg,
Judge Paula Xinis,
Judge Royce Lamberth,
Justice Elena Kagan,
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,
Justices Sonia Sotomayer,
Lawyers for Good Government,
Northwestern University,
Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling (have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams& Connolly),
Presidents of 328 U.S. colleges and universities who have signed a letter condemning “government overreach" (including St. Louis University),
Ropes & Gray (seeking to block cuts to medical research funding), Susman Godfrey law firm,
UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky,
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (per the ABA Journal, representing fired inspectors general),
Wilmer Hale Keker, Van Nest & Peters,
Southern Poverty Law Center,
Letter signed by 500 law firms joined a court brief supporting Perkins Coie lawsuit against the Trump Administration),
To paraphrase Churchill: We shall fight them in the streets, we shall fight them on the sidewalks, we shall fight them on the internet, we shall fight them in the courts, we shall fight them in the Congress, we shall fight them in the voting booth--We shall never surrender. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. SOLIDARITY..
No on Google Drive. Hubbell and Rebecca already are in Names (as only a single newsletter not Group), added Hopium to Group, but may change back to Names--as once again could be only a newsletter not Group. What do you advise? (And tnx for reading in entirety)
I'm thinking that reciting the oath of office is something that Democrats in Congress could have one person do at the beginning of every Congressional Committee meeting. That would both affirm their commitment (we are not letting up) and chastise those who have failed to honor their oath. Other Democrats could follow up with examples of how the repubs are defying their oath as it pertains to the work of the specific Committee or in general.
I was thinking dems should announce themselves as "I"m __________ and I'm here to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America" every time they step up to a microphone
Former head of the SSA (Social Security Administration), Martin O'Malley, spoke on Democracy Now! today >> warning "of "Collapse of the Entire System" Under Trump."
Massive cuts to the IT force of the SSA are driving things towards overload. The Trump regime will use the "emergency" they have caused to force "reforms." Link follows:
My MAGA congressman just reported the following: "[In these] first three months, the U.S. has taken out 74 known terrorist leaders threatening to strike America. @POTUS is fulfilling his promise to protect our country and make it more secure."
I replied, "how is he making things more secure when Social Security and disability payments are under threat? Please hold a town hall meeting and explain that to us."
This is also a ridiculous claim. These are the people they've killed in Yemen? All 74 are "terrorists?" Reeks of desperation. Bragging about something no one even knows is happening.
yes, this is the kind of BS he keeps trying to feed his constituents... and we who are opposed keep trying to push through the stories he keeps avoiding. Our numbers are increasing, and his defenders are dwindling down by the day.
The underlying ideological framework supporting such a claim is Islamaphobia: the persons killed lived in Yemen, were non-white, and likely practiced Islam; therefore, they must all be terrorists. It's equivalent to Venezuelan immigrants with tatoos must all be Tren de Aragua, though old-school racism buttresses that egregious generalization.
I called my Republican senators and representative to demand an end to the unconstitutional tariffs. I plan to follow up with emails. I actually got a person answering at Eric Schmitt's office. I'm used to leaving voice messages so need to get better at this. I found Heather Cox Richardson's daily letter useful but depressing today. It covered the astonishingly open corruption growing with Trump and family members. I think this may explain to some extent the threats being received by Republicans in Congress. I believe we must pressure them but think other protest tools may have to come into play down the road. I also saw that Chris Murphy had a very successful visit to Chesterfield, which is a suburb of St. Louis. I hope Democrats will make more visits like this to red states. Many voters have bought into the years of Republican demonization of Democrats. They need to meet Democrats directly to change their minds. I do think Ken Martin will be good for this.
Marina, we all agree with this. What are you going to do this week? For it has been the work of people in this community and others across the country pushing our electeds to do more that has helped us get to moments like this. Don't just complain, do, please.
Perhaps not a litany, but I think the broader point is that we as a community don't particularly like vague calls to action without making suggestions/saying what we're doing ourselves, if that makes sense.
Marina, you are new here, and am grateful for your presence and your work. But to be clear we all know that more must be done, and in fact, that is what we do here every day - try to get more to happen. We don't find it particularly useful to keep expressing disappointment, particularly when things are happening that you approve of for that means we can never win and can only lose; and such sentiment then becomes demobilizing, counter productive and helps MAGA win. Thank you - S
Simon, it's Both/And, not Either/Or:
Marina expressed support for your own message, that elected Dems should, in so many words, act more like Sen. Booker. Her reinforcing your message is NOT to the exclusion of other kinds of action -- which she is taking!
Public shaming has no place in the Hopium community. I hope to never again see such uninformed criticism of a Hopium member.
When faced with something adverse or difficult, the first three rules are:
Find out
Find out
Find out.
Ask questions before reacting.
Eric, please take your own counsel here and read through all the comments. My words were not criticism but an explanation of how we see the world which works hard to not turn wins into losses and disappointment as is the case with so much current Democratic chatter right now. If you come on here and join the fray you have to be ready to defend your arguments as I have to every day. Dropping comments, getting challenged and then withdrawing because it got hard is not in the spirit of civil discourse. I write and say all the time if you make a case defend it, back it up and inform. Just complaining is not in the spirit of this place.
It appears Marina has decided to delete her comments. So we will all move on now.
Marina, we all need to call out the positive. Negativity is not an asset in a movement like this. Your comment was not “bad”, but not productive, like a call to specific action.
I watched almost the entire sit-in yesterday. It was amazing!
I agree - I watched it several times throughout the day too. Shaking it up is very important now and Cory and Hakeem shook it up. It was really great seeing elected officials in jeans sitting on the Capitol steps talking about standing up to the abuses of Trump. I hope they do more things like this!
Hakeem is an excellent extemporaneous speaker, as we have already seen. He needs to use this skill far more than he has. It was an excellent way to galvanize the public, and they should definitely use clips on social media to emphasize key points.
Cory is an exceptional orator, too. I won’t be surprised if he’s in the White House someday!
J - we have a fantastic bench of presidential candidates who I would be proud to vote for, including Cory, Kamala, Pete, Jamie, Adam, and I definitely want to see AOC in that mix someday! Our future as Dems seems very bright to me, but of course I'm biased. <3
Well yeah. 😎
I loved Raphael Warnock’s moment where he said, “I hear people attack poor people and act like it’s a crime to be poor, rather than to recognize it’s criminal for so many people to be poor. They do all of this in the name of Jesus… Jesus is the biggest victim of identity theft in the United States”
https://bsky.app/profile/acyn.bsky.social/post/3lnt3aao23s2a
As many a European has remarked, a key difference between Europe and the US is that in Europe, the "deserving poor" means people who deserve to be helped; in our country, it means people who deserve to be poor. Not to anyone in Hopium, not to most Americans (the American people give more to help people in other countries than anyone else, by far, including every government), but to the millionaires and billioaires who occupy too many of our elective offices, or control those who do, that's most definitely the definition.
CANADA: ELECTION DAY
I hope the Mad King’s Truth Social post gets lots of attention today in Canada. The dimwit Mad King is unwittingly helping Carney and the Liberal Party win this election – possibly by a landslide.
"Good luck to the Great people of Canada. Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES, if Canada becomes the cherished 51st. State of the United States of America. No more artificially drawn line from many years ago. Look how beautiful this land mass would be. Free access with NO BORDER. ALL POSITIVES WITH NO NEGATIVES. IT WAS MEANT TO BE! America can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past. It makes no sense unless Canada is a State!"
Worth noting: "Election Day" is somewhat of a misnomer, both in Canada and the USA. More than one-quarter of eligible Canadian voters have already cast an Early ballot.
SECURITY ALERT: Canadian journalist’s question slips past security
To my great delight, satire is alive and well north of the border. Enjoy!
https://www.thebeaverton.com/2025/04/poilievre-rushed-to-safety-after-actual-journalist-question-makes-it-past-security/
The Beaverton is fun, it's our Onion. Satire has become difficult in this era, as we all know, because actual things are happening that were inconceivable a decade ago.
Any predictions for this election? Do you think Carney and the Liberal Party will gets an absolute majority in Parliament? And if so, by how many seats?
Wipeout for the NDP? Any chance Poilievre loses his own riding?
These are interesting things to contemplate....Poilievre's riding in Ottawa may have been affected by the 2022 "convoy" which aggressively disrupted residents' lives. His open support of all that could create opposition. His riding is also being targeted by a strange protest movement that registers 100 candidates to make an obscure point about election reform. This means that the count - done by hand with witnesses - will talke ages. It will have no effect on the actual outcome though.
I predict the NDP will suffer, but after some soul-searching and a likely leadership change will rise to fight again. 12 seats is the miniimum for "party status", which involves budgets etc, so if they come in under that it will be a definite blow. That's entirely possible though. A pundit I respect (Chantal Hebert) believes the Bloc leader is safe even if his party's caucus will be reduced.
Thank you! I’ll probably be staying up late tonight.
I will expect a full report in the morning!
I know what I'm hoping for, but time will tell. We will have to deal with the outcome, whatever it is. Electorates have been disappointing me all around the world, so ... just trying to stay calm and manage expectations right now.
😂 that’s hysterical! Satire may just be our secret weapon.
I need my minimum weekly allowance of satire. Which is why I subscribe to the Borowitz Report. Highly recommended!
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/jd-vance-to-represent-satan-at-popes
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-urges-vatican-to-select-new
CBC NEWS makes Trump top story:
"Trump implies Canadians should vote for him on election day"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/donald-trump-election-canada-truth-social-1.7520212
Politics Girl delivered her comments to fellow Canadians about the election on BlueSky. You might enjoy them. https://bsky.app/profile/politicsgirl.bsky.social/post/3lnst3ego7c2r
Many thanks! Leigh McGowan is always terrific.
WHAT a funny joke he tells! OMG - what a moron. I hope Canada gets a huge laugh over this!
There is a blossoming of Canadian patriotism inspired by rage. Suffice it to say, Trump is not helping Poilievre and the Conservatives. Without Tump’s tariffs and "help", they would probably be on a path to election victory.
Congratulations, Mark Carney!
Huge relief! Only question is whether he’ll be forming a majority or minority government. A lot of ridings are pretty close.
NY Times reports final results as 169 of 343 seats, and The Conservative Party won 144 seats.
“We have to find ways to take this ongoing assault - the undermining of Medicaid, the dismantlement of our public health infrastructure and research institutions, and anti-science crackpottery on reproductive health, diseases, autism - and turn it into something easy to understand.”
Poll numbers don’t convey this message. Neither does a chaotic, plunging stock market, as most people touched by this assault don’t have investments. If we want to turn the tide in our favor— and in favor of the survival of our democracy and our nation — we need to do a better job on messaging.
The ports on the west coast are essentially empty. Soon the shelves at Wal-Mart will be as well. That will be the perfect moment to hit the airwaves with multiple messages of how incompetent and cruel the administration is. There will be no denying it.
So proud of Illinois Governor Pritzker for his leadership during this troubled time. He has been fantastic and I'm proud to have moved to Illinois last year - first blue state I've ever lived in and it was about time. Thank you Simon and everyone for the community!
Saw the governor's keynote at a Moms Demand Action conference a couple years back. He is a dynamite speaker.
Illinois doesn't have term limits for Governor, so maybe he'll run again? If not, I'd be happy to see him in DC too. I'm glad you see his strength too.
Thank you, Simon! I saw some of the sit-in and it was great! I've called Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Congressman Raskin to ask them to support Senator Kaine's tariff resolution and to make criminal referrals against Elon Musk. Writing postcards today to remind Democrats in Florida to enroll in Vote By Mail. Glad to see that the polls are getting under Lame Donald Duck's skin.
Do you have any idea why Blue State Maryland has not joined the anti-tariff lawsuit?
Clearly I need to get back to calls & letters.
I do not. I've written to our AG but not received an answer yet.
Articles of Condemnation-a perfect title.
It will be a very long document....Come on democrats...write it!
Senator Booker and Gov JB Pritzker have the fire! Keeping them on my radar.
Self-report: I emailed NJ AG yesterday re joining the tariffs lawsuit (they are not reachable by phone). Will call Sens. Booker & Kim on the tariffs and Mr. Abrego Garcia.
Will follow up w Rep. Chris Smith's office (Traitor-NJ04) and ask them if/when I can expect a response to my email from last week. Not optimistic I'll get an acceptable response, but need to keep pushing this twit.
Spent much of Saturday at an organizing meeting to work on local activism: voter reg/turnout, rallies/public actions, building coalitions, etc. I hope this is being done in as many of our Hopium communities as possible-grassroots organizing is vital to our movement!
On the agenda this week: several folks are hosting "First 100 Days" type presentations, including Contrarian & Marc Elias. Highly recommend joining at least one of these.
Marc Elias is a national treasure.
Marc and Simon are the two who keep me sane. (Along with Meidas, BTC, HCR, etc. etc. of course!). We have formed a strong community that I rely on daily!
Writing to Governor Shapiro today, urging him to join the tariff lawsuits, given that our completely useless Attorney General just sits and ... I'm not sure what. Sits and watches the carnage?
Yes, please. There are 37 states not on the two state based tariff lawsuits. All should join, and Dems in the states regardless of who controls should be clamoring for it.
Just sent the note. His office is responsive. He has initiated lawsuits against this regime recently and they answer the phone when you call ... and listen. Now to call McCormick and Fetterman. And leave my you have no mandate and stealing health care from citizens is inhumane, immoral, indecent, and illegal messages for Johnson and Thune.
Gov. Shapiro only need ask for “delegation” from PA OAG (which the AG agreed to before) in order for PA to join the tariff suit.
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2025/02/attorney-general-dave-sunday-oks-shapiro-lawsuit-against-trumps-federal-freezes.html
Pritzker's comments are right on the money, but I have some concerns about his recent veto of a bill that would have limited Amazon’s productivity and speed quotas for its warehouse workers.
Governor Pritzker is providing an excellent example, and we can be proud of his strong messages and accomplishments.
Of course the opinion polls are rigged, the samples unfair and fake. Trump has at least 100% approval and the bigliest approval in all of recorded history. The people of Canada will vote for him too - in huge, beautiful numbers - and become 51st state. The people of Greenland are begging to be American ....... meanwhile back in reality! The most unpopular US President at 100 days since polling began 80 years ago. Made my day.
Who gives an F about his NOT HAPPY; he says that and I want to scream and reach into the TV and grab him by his ...
I want news reports that he's morose, depressed, teetering on the edge of despair and that he's driving all those appointed sycophants (e.g. Hegseth, Bondi, and Rubio et. al ) crazy.
All in good time. Those numbers keep dropping, we will be getting those. Of that, I'm sure.
I hope you're right.
They all deserve each other. Deplorables, anyone?
We the People at Work
The People, the protectors of Democracy, are out and about. What "people," out where, about what--and why? First, millions said "Hand Off"to Trump/Musk et al, then on the 19th via 50501" (50 protests, 5o states, 1 Movement + Indivivable) millions more protested the mess in WDC. Also on the 19th we celebrated the "the shot heard around the world at Lexington and Concord, starting the Revolution and our country. On the 22nd protectors of the environment cleaned up a different kind of mess on Earth Day.
As important as the participants in environmental mess cleanup and American history are, this post is dedicated to the named and unnamed protestors fighting the Trump/Musk Washington, DC, tyrannical mess. Or as Susan Grymes calls it: "Protectors" of democracy, and so shall I in this post.
Who are the Protectors of democracy on April 5, 19th, May 1st--or all the everydays in between and into the future?? We will never know the names of each individual marcher, sign holder (or just standing together in solidarity). But we do know by name some people, advocacy groups, judges and law firms, and other entities who have not been cowed, and have fought back publicly--sometimes under threat of death.. Some, such as Sen. Cory Booker, with his 25 hour righteous speech on ethics, morality, and American democracy,have become an inspiration. Here then, in no particular order of noteworthy (except the first three), are the names of many of the army of protectors of democracy--and remember Courage is Contagious:
(Of course, the list is imperfect, Additions are welcomed. Also re-posting is permitted and encouraged.
PROTECTORS OF DEMOCRACY (By pen, voice, sign, or act)
(Updated April 28, 2025) Individuals
Heather Cox Richardson/"Letters from an American,"
Jess Piper/"View from Rural Missouri,"
Joyce Vance/"Civil Discourse,"
Rep. AOC,
AGs, 23 Blue States,
Aaron Parnas,
Adam Kinzinger,
Sen. Adam Schiff,
Adam Smith,
Alex Wagner,
Alexander Vindman,
Ali Velshi,
Alison Gill
Alvin Bragg (and the unnamed Manhattan jurors),
Amb. Susan Rice,
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales/Democracy Now,
Anand Giridharadas,
Anat Shenker-Osario,
Andrew Weissmann,
Andy Borowitz,
Ann Telnaes,
Anne Applebaum,
Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF (Freedom from Religion Founda
Ariella Elm
]
Ari Melber,
Asha Rangappa
August Flentje,
Ben Meiselas/MTN,
Beth Benike,
Brett Meiselas,
Brian Tyler Cohen,
Cassidy Hutchinson,
Charlotte Clymer,
Chris Geidne/LAW Dork
Chris Hayes,
Chris Krebs,
Col. Susannah Meyers,
Congressman Jim Himes,
D. Earl Stevens,
Dan Barker, FFRF (Freedom from Religion Foundation)
Dan Pfeiffer,
Dan Rather,
Daniel Berulis,
Daniel Morton-Bentley,
David Frumm,
David Hogg,
Dean Obeidallah,
Delia Ramirez,
Sen. Elizabeth Warren,
Sen. Elyssa Slotkin,
Erez Reuveni,
Rep. Eric Swalwell,
Francie Garber Pepper (1940-2025),
Garrison Keillor,
Garry Kasparov,
George Conway,
Glenn Kirschner,
Gov. Beshear,
Gov. Janet Mills,
Gov. Kathy Hochul,
Gov. Maura Healey (MA),
Gov. Tim Walz (MN),
Gov. Tony Evers (WI),
Greg Olear,
Harry Litman,
J.B. Pritzker,
Jake Auchincloss,
Rep. Jamie Raskin,
Rep. Jasmine Crockett,
Jay Kou,
Jeff Danziger,
Sen. Jeff Merkley,
Jeff Stein,
Jeff Tiedrich,
Jen Rubin And the Contrarians,
,Jeremy Seahill,
Jessica Craven,
Jessica Yellin,
Jill Filipovic
Jim Acosta,
Jim Hightower,
Jimmy Kimmel,
J-L Cauvin,
John Cusack,
John Larson
Sen. Jon Ossoff,
Jonathan Bernstein,
Jordy Meiselas,
Josh Johnson (stand-up comedian),
Josh Marshall/TPM,
Joy Reid,
Judd Legum (Popular Information),
Julie Roginsky,
Katie Phang,
Ken Harbaugh,
Lawrence O'Donnell,
Liz Cheney,
Lucian Truscott IV,
Marianne Williamson,
Mark Fiore,
Marvin Kalb,
Mary L. Trump,
Maxwell Frost,
Mayor Michelle Wu,
Mehdi Hasan,
Melvin Gurai,
Michael Bennett,
Michael Cohen,
Michel Zeitgeist,
Miles Taylor,
Nicolle Wallllace,
Noel Casler (former and current staff of the Inter-American Foundation, a small but mighty federal agency for Latin America)
Olga Lautman,
Oliva Troye,
Paul Krugman,
Prof. Lawrence Tribe,
Qasim Rachid,
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman,
Rachel Cohen,
Rachel Maddow,
Rebecca Solnit,
Rep. Andrew Egger,
Rep. Emily Randall,
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries,
Rep. Jessica Denson,
Rep. Jonathan V. Last,
Rep. Noe Casler,
Rep. Pramila Jayapal,
Rep. Sarah Longwell,
Rep. Al Green,
Rep. Don Beyer,
Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde,
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II,
Representative Yassamin Ansari
Rez Reuveni (acting deputy director for the Office of Immigration Litigation, and his supervisor),
Rich Wilson,
Robert B. Hubbell,
Robert Reich,
Roger Parloff,
Ron Filipkowski,
Ruth Ben-Ghait,
Sarah Inama,
Scott Dworkin,
Sen. Amy Klobuchar,
Sen. Andy Kim,
Sen. Angus King,
Sen. Bernie Sanders,
Sen. Chris Murphy,
Sen. Chris Van Hollen,
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand,
Sen. Lisa Murkowski,
Sen. Maria Cantwell,
Sen. Patty Murray,
Sen. Raphael Warnock,
Sen. Ron Wyden,
Sharon McMahon,
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse,
Simon Rosenberg,
Stacey Abrams,
Stephanie Miller,
Stephen King,
Steve Brodner,
Steve Schmidt,
Sue Nethercott,
Sen. Tammy Duckworth,
Tennessee Brandon,
Thom Hartmann,
Tim Miller,
Tim Snyder,
Timothy Snyder
Tristan Snell,
Will Bunch,
Zev Shalev,
ADVOCACY GROUPS, MEDIA NETWORKS
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union),
AICN (North Carolina),
American Oversight,
Bill Kristol/all NeverTrumpers,
Blue Future,
Blue Missouri,
Blue Wave,
Bluesky,
Bulwark Media,
CODEPINK,
CREW,
DemCast,
Democracy Forward,
Democracy Index,
DemocracyLabs,
Every State Blue,
Feathers of Hope/Jerry Weiss,,
Field Team 6 (North Carolina),
FiftyFifty one (50501),
Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF),
Fred Wellman/On Democracy,
"Hands Off,"
Indivisible,
Jessica Valenti/Abortion Everyday,
Lambda Legal,
League of Women Voters/Dr. Allan Lichtman,
Marc Elias/Democracy Docket,
MeidasTouch Network,
MoveOn,
MSNBC (an exception to corporate news, and their suppressing news0,
No Kings,
Olivia Troye,
Protect Democracy,
Public Citizen/Co-president Robert Weissman,
Run for Something,
Seneca Project,
Substack,
Team Sunrise,
The 19th/Errin Haines,
The American Manifesto,
The Bulwark,
The Civic Center,
The Dean's List/ Dean Obeidallah,
The Dr. Martin Luther King Center
The Lincoln Project,
The Politics Girl,
The States Project (North Carolina),
The Union (North Carolina)
Third Act,,
Thomas Zimmer/Democracy Americana,
Truth Matters,
We the People Dissent,
Working Families Party,
LAW FIRMS/ORGANIZATIONS, LAWYERS, COURTS, ACADEMIA
American Bar Association,
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer,
Big Ten Universities,
Brenna Trout Frey
David Pepper,
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher (representing the Amica Center for Immigrants Rights and others seeking to block funding cuts for immigrant legal services),
Harvard/President Alan M. Garber,
Hogan Lovells (seeking to block executive orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming medical care),
Jenner & Block (also seeking to block the orders on cuts to medical research funding),
Judge Hannah Dugan,
Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III,
(former) Judge J. Michael Luttig,
Judge James Boasberg,
Judge Paula Xinis,
Judge Royce Lamberth,
Justice Elena Kagan,
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson,
Justices Sonia Sotomayer,
Lawyers for Good Government,
Northwestern University,
Perkins Coie and Covington & Burling (have resisted Trump, fighting back with the help of other courageous firms like Williams& Connolly),
Presidents of 328 U.S. colleges and universities who have signed a letter condemning “government overreach" (including St. Louis University),
Ropes & Gray (seeking to block cuts to medical research funding), Susman Godfrey law firm,
UC Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky,
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (per the ABA Journal, representing fired inspectors general),
Wilmer Hale Keker, Van Nest & Peters,
Southern Poverty Law Center,
Letter signed by 500 law firms joined a court brief supporting Perkins Coie lawsuit against the Trump Administration),
To paraphrase Churchill: We shall fight them in the streets, we shall fight them on the sidewalks, we shall fight them on the internet, we shall fight them in the courts, we shall fight them in the Congress, we shall fight them in the voting booth--We shall never surrender. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE. SOLIDARITY..
E pluribus unum ( "Out of many, one)
Good list for inspiration and action, Larry. Do you have this on a Google Drive document, and if so, could you share the link?
In the Advocacy section I don't see Hopium Chronicles. Maybe it's elsewhere. Same with Robert Hubbell's newsletter.
Also, Rebecca Solnit's newsletter Meditations in an Emergency is great on hope and action. Highly recommended!
No on Google Drive. Hubbell and Rebecca already are in Names (as only a single newsletter not Group), added Hopium to Group, but may change back to Names--as once again could be only a newsletter not Group. What do you advise? (And tnx for reading in entirety)
I didn't get to read closely but want to. Hmm... What about a category "ANALYSIS and ACTION"? Tricky, to figure this out.
I'm thinking that reciting the oath of office is something that Democrats in Congress could have one person do at the beginning of every Congressional Committee meeting. That would both affirm their commitment (we are not letting up) and chastise those who have failed to honor their oath. Other Democrats could follow up with examples of how the repubs are defying their oath as it pertains to the work of the specific Committee or in general.
I was thinking dems should announce themselves as "I"m __________ and I'm here to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America" every time they step up to a microphone
Terrific idea! And what a damning contrast this would be.
Former head of the SSA (Social Security Administration), Martin O'Malley, spoke on Democracy Now! today >> warning "of "Collapse of the Entire System" Under Trump."
Massive cuts to the IT force of the SSA are driving things towards overload. The Trump regime will use the "emergency" they have caused to force "reforms." Link follows:
https://youtu.be/TgFdgrmJ5f8?si=JmyA35AwOvkuSMgD
My MAGA congressman just reported the following: "[In these] first three months, the U.S. has taken out 74 known terrorist leaders threatening to strike America. @POTUS is fulfilling his promise to protect our country and make it more secure."
I replied, "how is he making things more secure when Social Security and disability payments are under threat? Please hold a town hall meeting and explain that to us."
This is also a ridiculous claim. These are the people they've killed in Yemen? All 74 are "terrorists?" Reeks of desperation. Bragging about something no one even knows is happening.
yes, this is the kind of BS he keeps trying to feed his constituents... and we who are opposed keep trying to push through the stories he keeps avoiding. Our numbers are increasing, and his defenders are dwindling down by the day.
“Hold on to your straws everybody, 'cause Mama’s going grasping.” -Leslie Knope, Season 7, Episode 3
The underlying ideological framework supporting such a claim is Islamaphobia: the persons killed lived in Yemen, were non-white, and likely practiced Islam; therefore, they must all be terrorists. It's equivalent to Venezuelan immigrants with tatoos must all be Tren de Aragua, though old-school racism buttresses that egregious generalization.
The source is a Christo-fascist, racist MAGAt who is proving himself to be a traitor to our constitutional system of government. iow, a nightmare.
But he's "pro-Life."
I assume the toddler-aged citizens deported were counted among the 74.
I called my Republican senators and representative to demand an end to the unconstitutional tariffs. I plan to follow up with emails. I actually got a person answering at Eric Schmitt's office. I'm used to leaving voice messages so need to get better at this. I found Heather Cox Richardson's daily letter useful but depressing today. It covered the astonishingly open corruption growing with Trump and family members. I think this may explain to some extent the threats being received by Republicans in Congress. I believe we must pressure them but think other protest tools may have to come into play down the road. I also saw that Chris Murphy had a very successful visit to Chesterfield, which is a suburb of St. Louis. I hope Democrats will make more visits like this to red states. Many voters have bought into the years of Republican demonization of Democrats. They need to meet Democrats directly to change their minds. I do think Ken Martin will be good for this.